‘Natakbaazi…’, says BJP after Karnataka govt puts reservation bill for Kannadigas on hold

BENGALURU: After the Congress government in the state put a bill on quotas for Kannadigas in the private sector on hold, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader C T Ravi termed it “natakbaazi” and said that, in the state, the atmosphere is against Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and the Congress government.

Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Wednesday said that the bill enforcing 50 per cent reservation for administrative posts and 75 per cent for non-administrative posts for Kannadigas in private sector organisations, industries and enterprises has been temporarily put on hold.

“This is all ‘natakbaazi’ to divert the issue. The atmosphere is against the CM and Congress government. To divert people from the issue, they are doing this. Kannada schools are closing in the state, they should first think about that. Why are the schools being closed? They are not doing anything regarding this. They are just doing nautanki”, the BJP leader said.

#WATCH | After Karnataka govt puts on hold draft bill on quota for Kannadigas in the private sector, BJP leader CT Ravi says, “This is all ‘natakbaazi’. The atmosphere is against the CM and Congress government.” pic.twitter.com/BGC24auONt

— ANI (@ANI) July 18, 2024

BJP leader C R Kesavan said, “Yesterday, you first saw CM Siddaramaiah’s tweet saying that the cabinet had approved the job quota in the private sector. Then, after some time, he deleted his tweet. Then mysteriously, the tweet came out, and then, towards the evening, they said they’d put it on hold for further discussions. This should be looked at in the context of the Assembly session that is going on.

“The Congress government has been cornered, confronted and is defenceless against the alleged scams that have taken place. He (Rahul Gandhi) self acclaims that he is a champion of tribal interests, so why is he keeping quiet?” Kesavan said.

Health Minister Dinesh Gundu Rao said that whatever the government wants to do is in the interest of the people. “The CM has given a statement based on certain feedback. We will look at it again. Whatever we want to do is in the interest of our people and our local people, who should benefit, so that is the only intention. People also give many opinions, we are open to all types of views”, Gundu Rao said.

Home Minister G Parameshwara said that the government is trying to consult everyone and will then take a decision. “Some consultations need to be done. We are trying to consult everyone and then take a decision. We are trying to consult everybody and then take a decision”, Parameshwara said.

IT/BT Minister Priyank Kharge said that the government will ensure that Karnataka delivers a global workforce from here. “It’s not the question of taking back. As a government, we are committed to providing more jobs locally. We will ensure that Karnataka delivers a global workforce from here”, Priyank Kharge said.

According to the chief minister, the bill will be revisited and decided upon in the coming days. “The bill approved by the cabinet to provide reservations for Kannadigas in private sector organizations, industries and enterprises has been temporarily put on hold. This will be revisited and decided in the coming days”, Siddaramaiah posted on X.

The CM said in another post on X, “The draft bill intended to provide reservations for Kannadigas in private sector companies, industries, and enterprises is still in the preparation stage. A comprehensive discussion will be held in the next cabinet meeting to make a final decision”.

On Monday, the Karnataka cabinet approved a bill enforcing a 50 per cent reservation for administrative posts and 75 per cent for non-administrative posts for Kannadigas in private industries. (ANI)